A plan for collaborationTina Launey | MEDT 7485 | Summer 2009

The Goal

At the end of the 2008-2009 school year, I met with grade level team leaders to establish the most important information literacy skills and make meaningful connections between those skills and grade level standards.

My goal?

…One lesson per grade level, per month

The Rationale

For the greatest impact, students must learn to locate and evaluate information within the context of the topics they are studying in the classroom. That way, they not only learn how to find information, they also use that information to create meaningful products that synthesize the information they’ve gathered and convey their knowledge of the topic.

Information literacy skills should not be taught

in a vacuum

The Product

I have created a web site that contains:• An instructional plan for each grade level,

each month of the academic year• The resources for teaching these lessons – flip

charts,PowerPoints, etc.

This plan will be implemented in its entirety during the 2009-2010 school year.

For Kindergarten

The greatest need for kindergarten students is repeated exposure to literature from a variety of genres. As a result, story time is the main component of the collaboration plan for kindergarten classes. Regular story times will build on topics covered in the classroom, such as family, friends, and communities.

For First Grade

Exposure to literature from a variety of genres is also important to first grade students. In addition, we will also study multiple titles that center around a common character, elements of nonfiction texts, and prominent figures in American folk tales.

For Second Grade

Second grade students should begin to be familiar with a variety of reference and nonfiction texts, and be able to choose the appropriate text to meet a specific information need. Second graders will learn how to:

• Use the dictionary to locate words/definitions• Use encyclopedias to research a science topic• Locate information in nonfiction texts• Use the thesaurus to enhance persuasive/

descriptive writing

For Second Grade

Students will then create a class nonfiction book, using the reference sources to research a topic and write a paragraph about said topic in Microsoft Word; they will apply the components of a nonfiction text – table of contents, glossary, index – to the creation of their class book.

For Third Grade

Third grade students should be capable of locating and using a variety of reference texts to gather information and create information products, such as written responses and presentations that reflect their knowledge. They should also begin to search online for information using the media center catalog and the Cobb Virtual Library.

For Third Grade

To this end, third grade students will learn to:• Use all the features of a dictionary• Use the encyclopedia to research a topic• Use the atlas to develop map and globe skills• Research a topic using the Cobb Virtual

Library• Locate fiction and nonfiction materials in

the media center using Destiny• Use Microsoft Word/PowerPoint to create

documents with text and images

For Fourth Grade

Fourth grade students should be comfortable using the atlas and encyclopedia to research various topics and incorporate map and globe skills to develop a deeper understanding of history, science, politics, and culture. They should also use the Cobb Virtual Library to locate text, images, video, and audio for a variety of topics, and incorporate text and media into advanced information products.

For Fourth Grade

Fourth grade students will learn to:• Locate fiction, nonfiction, and reference

materials in the media center using Destiny• Use the encyclopedia and atlas to learn about

history, geography, politics, and culture• Research a topic using the Cobb Virtual

Library• Use Microsoft PowerPoint/Publisher and

Windows MovieMaker to create products with text, images, video, and/or sound

For Fifth Grade

By fifth grade, students should be comfortable locating a variety of materials – including fiction, nonfiction, and reference – in the media center and incorporating information gleaned from these sources and the Cobb Virtual Library to create advanced information products such as presentations, brochures, and movies. They should also understand the importance of choosing the right source for a given topic and citing the source appropriately.

For Fifth Grade

Fifth grade students will learn to:• Locate fiction, nonfiction, and reference

materials using Destiny• Use Destiny’s web search feature and the

Cobb Virtual Library to research a topic• Use the encyclopedia and the atlas to learn

about history, geography, politics, and culture• Cite sources from which information has been

gained• Create digital stories and/or videos in

Windows MovieMaker

Assessment

During the 2009-2010 school year, the fifth grade team has made the commitment to attend each lesson, each month of the year. Fifth grade students will be administered an information literacy pretest at the beginning of the year and a posttest at the end of the year to measure student development of information literacy skills and assess the value of this collaborative instruction. The results will be shared with school administration and staff.

The Product

To explore the lessons and resources compiled for this project,just click this link:

MEDT 7485 project, Summer 2009

The Resources

"PICASSO Academic Portal." Cobb County School District. July 2009. Cobb County School District. 21 Jun 2009 http://picasso.cobbk12.org/.

"Cobb Library Media Wiki." Blackboard Academic Suite. 07 May 2009. Cobb County School District, Library Media Education Department. 7 Jul 2009 http://blackboard.cobbk12.org/webapps/lobj-wiki-bb_bb60/wiki_home/Handler?course_id=_7152_1&content_id=_251916_1.